The Search
by melinda08
Summary: After Daryl learns that Rick banished Carol from the group, he goes on a journey to find her. What he finds out threatens to break up the group permanently.
1. Chapter 1

"Dad...aren't you going to talk to Daryl?" Carl asked as he followed his father to welcome back the party.

Rick wasn't looking forward to talking to Daryl at all, not after what he had done to Carol. So when his son suggested they go off and look for vegetables, it was a most welcome distraction indeed.

Daryl didn't say much, but he was glad to be back. This wasn't much of a life, but they were all doing the best they could to survive. And to his surprise, he'd kind of grown fond of most of the people in the prison setting- particularly one female.

"Hey, Rick.." Daryl muttered.

Rick didn't look at him. "Hey," he managed to mutter. "Did everything go okay?"

"If you count Tyrese almost tryin' to get himself killed by a hoard, then I guess it went all right."

Rick said nothing. He knew Carl was counting on him to be more of a leader, but right now he hated the position the group had put him in. Even more, he hated what Carol had made him do.

"You seen Carol?" Daryl asked, and Rick continued to walk further away.

Sensing something wasn't quite right, Daryl got a little closer. "Ain't you heard me? I asked if you seen Carol," he growled, getting more annoyed by the second.

"She's all right," Rick replied. He wasn't lying. He'd made sure she'd gotten plenty of supplies and a car. As far as he knew Carol was all right.

"Where is she, with Judith?"

"Nope."

Now Daryl was getting really irritated. He wasn't the smartest of the bunch, but he knew when someone was hiding something from him. "Then where is she?"

Rick continued to pick vegetables, and Carl, sensing trouble, went back to the prison.

"You gone deaf?" Daryl got in Rick's face. "I asked you 'bout Carol. Where is she?"

Rick sighed. "She's gone."

"What you mean, she's gone? Christ I leave for a day and you mean to tell me you let them get her..."

"Lower your voice," Rick ordered. "In case you haven't noticed we're not alone out here."

"Don't talk to me about lowering my voice. Where the hell is Carol?" Daryl grabbed Rick by the shirt.

"Look, Daryl, sometimes you have to make decisions, not based on what you want, but on what's best for the group..."

"We're a council, remember? Last time I checked you didn't want to be in charge no more. So what did you do to Carol?" Daryl demanded.

"I sent her away. She's got food, gas, a car...she's a survivor."

Daryl got right in Rick's face. "Don't talk to me about Carol. You don't know her, what she's been through. You don't know why she is the way she is..." he started to yell, not even caring about the walkers on the other side of the fence.

"And I suppose you do?" Rick raised his eyebrow.

"I know her enough not to banish her to the hell that is on the outside of this here fence. I ought to put you out there with them walkers, see how well you survive!"

Daryl stared down Rick, sending shivers down Rick's spine. Rick started to respond, but before he could, Daryl was making his way outside the fence.

"Daryl! Where you going? You can't leave..."

"Says you! You're the one who sent Carol out to her death, and I promise you this...I will be back. And if I have to come back without her...well," Daryl spit then looked at Rick. "You might as well pack your bags."

With that, Daryl was gone, leaving Rick to wonder not only what would happen to Daryl, but to himself and to the rest of the group once they learned what Rick had done.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl didn't know where he was going, nor did he know what Rick had been thinking by kicking Carol out of the group, but what he did know was that he had to find her. The thought of another drawn-out search with the potential of another very unhappy ending was daunting, but he had to do it. He owed it to Sophia to make things right for her mother.

He hadn't really known the kid, but as far as little girls went, Sophia was pretty cool. Shy at first, she clung to her mother, and after getting to know Carol the way Daryl had, it was easy to understand why.

He wouldn't have blamed Carol for giving up after losing her daughter, but to his (and probably everyone's) surprise, she hadn't. She kept on going, even during her darkest days, and for that, he'd come to have a new-found respect for her.

Carol couldn't be gone, she just couldn't. He would know it if she were, he would feel something inside that would tell him to give up, to just turn around. But they had some kind of bond that neither of them really understood or talked about. It was just there, and if it had been good enough for Carol, then it would be good enough for him.

He drove around on his motorcycle, not even knowing what he was looking for. Rick had said something about Carol having a car, but that was practically useless. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but if it meant going to the ends of the earth to find her, then that was just what he would do.

She had to be out there. She just had to. Losing Merle had been tough, but somehow he'd gotten through it. He never really talked about it with anyone. Every now and then Carol would find him by himself and ask if he was all right, but she never really pushed him into talking. Just the thought that he could talk to her if he wanted to was enough, at least for the time being.

Yes, he'd let Merle down. He let Carol down by not finding her daughter. But this time, Daryl knew, he would not let Sophia down yet again. He would find Carol and even if the two of them had to find their own camp, then so be it. They were both tough, both survivors. If there was any one person he were to be stuck with during the end of the world, there was no doubt in his mind it was Carol.

00000

Tired, exhausted, weary...Carol had to find a place to rest. Not that anywhere was safe, but she'd found a little hut that had apparently been built by a young person or couple out of desperation. It wasn't much, but it was a place to rest, at least for the time being.

She knew she could have stayed with the group, if she'd been honest with Rick. But it was better for everyone that no one knew what really happened. Her absence wouldn't affect anyone, much. Yeah, the girls were kind of fond of her, and she got along pretty well with everyone. But really, this was for the best.

Then there was Daryl. Even in her utter state of exhaustion just the thought of her friend, her best friend, her only real friend brought a smile to her face. He'd been there for her during her darkest hour, and she never got a chance to thank him for all that he'd done for her. More importantly, what he'd done for Sophia. She tried to ask him why he'd kept looking for her daughter once, but he just kind of dismissed her.

It was starting to grow dark, and that was the worst. Staying in one place was key to survival, but just as important was knowing when to run. Right now the walkers really didn't seem to notice her, so just for the night, Carol found her solace in the tiny hut that she'd managed to find.

It occurred to her that Daryl might be out there, looking for her. That would be foolish. He knew that he was safer in the group than by himself. It would be a suicide mission if he were to look for her. So all alone, wrapped up in some scraps of blankets that she'd found, Carol settled in for the night, unaware that her salvation was right around the corner.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

It was getting quite late, but Daryl knew he couldn't give up. True, the walkers were getting ready for their nightly rounds, but he didn't care about that. He was a good shot. He could take care of himself if need be (and he was sure the need would soon be.) But it was Carol he was worried about. Yes, she was stronger than most people gave her credit for. But thoughts of how she was when he first met her came to mind, and it drove him crazy.

00000

She hadn't said much to anyone. Always busying herself with laundry or preparing food or whatever else needed to be done, nonetheless she hadn't quite "fit in" with the group. Like he did? Anyways, it wasn't like Carol could get a chance to get to know the the ladies, to make friends. That piece of shit husband of hers had his eyes on her, and not cause he was worried about her safety.

0000

Daryl didn't much like thinking about those days. There were so many things that bothered him- Merle, Ed- and little Sophia. It wasn't like he didn't want to think about the kid, but whenever he let himself go down that road it would only lead to him kicking himself for not knowing, not doing more, not keeping her safe.

0000

Damn that Rick. Daryl'd just started to respect him again, to see him more of a leader, then he had to go and pull this shit. What he was thinking, Daryl didn't know. All he did know was that Rick had better hope that nothing happened to Carol, or the walkers would be the least of his worries.

Squinting, looking around for any sign that Carol had been around, it was starting to look bad. There was nothing.

Just then a walker came up to him from behind, and Daryl knew what he had to do. He had developed a pretty good instinct of those things, and so he quickly turned around, knife in hand, and without hesitating he took care of the blasted thing.

Of course he knew better than to believe that was just a lone straggler, out there by itself. Where one was you can bet there would be at least a dozen more right around the corner. He knew he had to find shelter. He wasn't going back to the prison without Carol, no matter what.

He had a small flashlight- the batteries were dying so the light was quite dim, but that was actually probably for the best. Best not to attract more attention than he had to. So after doing a quick inventory of the yard, his eyes turned to the street. By now the walkers were going house to house, but the cars for some reason they were leaving alone.

So he approached the first car, partly hoping for anything he could salvage (food, tools, clothing) but mostly for a sign, any sign, of Carol. Rick had said he'd left her with a car, hadn't he?

He thought about the search with Sophia. What was it they'd done when they realized she was missing? They left messages on cars, instructing her to stay put. Maybe Carol remembered that too. Maybe she decided not to wander too far off, in case.

After searching about a dozen cars, he was ready to give up. The low moans of the walkers were getting bad- the smell was nearly gagging him, although Daryl had tried to act like he'd gotten used to it. How anyone could get used to the smell of death, he didn't know.

Ready to give up for the night- tired, angry, frustrated- Daryl decided to find shelter for the night. A few feet away was another walker. Figured, he thought as he reached for a bow. But for some reason-this never happened to him- the sweat of the palm of his hand got the best of him, and he dropped the bow. Thinking quickly, he picked it up when he saw something he hadn't seen before.

Footprints. Small footprints. He took care of the walker again, then decided to follow the trail using the nearly dead light of the flashlight.

He quickly saw where they led.

It was small, too small for the walkers to gather, but maybe just maybe it was big enough for a small woman to discover.

It probably wouldn't lead to much. But still, Daryl just had to know one way or the other.

Quiet as possible, he looked around the environment, always mindful of any potential threats, he quickly opened the door.

He was right- the little building was occupied. He was met by the sight of a knife pointed at him. Through the crack of the door the moonlight hit them, and then his would-be-attacker's eyes widened with recognition.

Their eyes met, and then after giving Carol a quick visual once-over, he felt sick to his stomach. Rick would pay for what he'd done to this woman.

tbc


End file.
